Medicine News and Research

RSS

Self-monitoring of Coumadin levels reduces risk of blood clots by 50%: Study

A new review of existing research finds that many patients who take an anti-clotting drug or "blood-thinner" can benefit from monitoring the levels of the drug themselves instead of going to clinics for blood tests.

16 Apr 2010

LOTS results of Myozyme in older children and adults with Pompe disease published

Genzyme Corp. today announced that the results from its Late-Onset Treatment Study have been published in today's New England Journal of Medicine. The study was undertaken to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Myozyme (alglucosidase alfa) in older children and adults with Pompe disease.

16 Apr 2010

IBA's PBS system for Proton Therapy granted CE Mark

IBA's second generation Pencil Beam Scanning system for Proton Therapy, which further enhances the performance of anti-cancer proton treatments, has been granted the CE Mark, certifying that the product has met European Union medical device regulations.

16 Apr 2010

Moving is the best medicine for arthritic pain

The burden of arthritis is greater for African Americans and Hispanics, despite lower prevalence among these groups according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report published in the May issue of Preventing Chronic Disease.

16 Apr 2010

Low income and lack of health insurance result in fewer rate of colorectal cancer screening

High out-of-pocket costs, lack of health insurance and limited access to care contribute to a relatively low rate of colorectal cancer screening in the United States, according to a new systematic review by researchers at the RTI International-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Evidence-based Practice Center.

16 Apr 2010

Certain genetic variations linked to tooth decay, periodontitis

Certain genetic variations may be linked to higher rates of tooth decay and aggressive periodontitis, according to two recently published papers by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine and their collaborators.

16 Apr 2010

Screening urine dipstick to diagnose chronic kidney disease in children not cost-effective

The routine use of a screening urine dipstick to diagnose chronic kidney disease in healthy children is not a cost-effective test, confirm Penn State College of Medicine researchers, who validated an American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation.

16 Apr 2010

International experts discuss threats posed by ticks and fleas

As experts from around the world met in New York this week they discussed the need for greater understanding of the threat posed by ticks, fleas and sand flies. Leading scientists called on veterinarians and dog-owners around the world to take action to protect dogs and humans from potentially lethal diseases.

16 Apr 2010

States continue budget struggles; Oklahoma nursing homes brace for funding cuts

Three Minnesota Democratic legislators are proposing that the state spend $1 billion from the state's special health care fund in an effort to get $1 billion in federal money. "A spokesman for Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty says the plan won't work because the special fund is already scheduled to run a deficit" (4/14).

16 Apr 2010

Stemgent, Pfizer announce collaboration and research licensing agreement

Stemgent, Inc. and Pfizer Inc. today announced a collaboration and research licensing agreement that will lead to certain research reagents developed or discovered by Pfizer being made available to the global research community through Stemgent. Stemgent provides research tools and services to institutions, companies and universities in advancing in vitro and in vivo non-human stem cell research.

16 Apr 2010

Regulus Therapeutics' metabolic disease program data presented at Diabetes Keystone Symposium

Regulus Therapeutics Inc. today announced that new data from its metabolic disease program were presented at the "Diabetes" Keystone Symposium held April 12-17 in Whistler, British Columbia. The new pre-clinical research findings showed that therapeutic oligonucleotides targeting microRNA are able to improve insulin resistance and normalize plasma glucose in mouse models of diabetes while having no significant effect on glucose or insulin levels in normal mice.

16 Apr 2010

Study on primary cilia formation may lead to new therapies for ciliopathies

A team of scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a network of genes that initiate and manage cilia formation. Although scientists have known about cilia for decades, only recently have they discovered their role in disease. This new discovery, which may lead to new therapies for ciliopathies, will appear in the April 15 edition of Nature.

16 Apr 2010

FAAN conference provides new insights about food allergies and anaphylaxis

The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (c) is bringing together parents, physicians, dietitians, caregivers, and others for its 17th Annual Food Allergy Conferences. The second of this year's four conferences will be held in Las Vegas and promises to give attendees new insights and strategies about food allergies and anaphylaxis.

16 Apr 2010

Current screening methods for FOBT are often not appropriate

More than 75 percent of primary care physicians in the United States who order or perform the fecal occult blood test as a screening option for colorectal cancer perform an in-office test rather than relying on the home-based test, even though the home-based test is more accurate, a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found.

16 Apr 2010

First meeting of WHO H1N1 response probe concludes

The first meeting of external experts tasked with reviewing the WHO's handling of the H1N1 (swine flu) virus came to a close Wednesday, with health leaders maintaining it was still too early to declare the pandemic over, Agence France-Presse reports.

16 Apr 2010

New research on EKG signals could help heart patients in future

A physics major's passion for medicine led her into research that could help heart patients in the future.

16 Apr 2010

Community colleges to have new curriculum to educate HIT workers

Community colleges will soon have the capacity and ability to educate much-needed health information technology workers. Using a new six to 12 month informatics curriculum developed at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and deployed throughout the U.S., local colleges will have access to high-quality HIT educational programs, while helping their instructors supplement their own level of knowledge.

16 Apr 2010

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University receives funds to expand stem cell research capabilities

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has been awarded $10 million from the National Institutes of Health to expand its stem cell research capabilities. The funds will be used to create new laboratories in order to increase its already substantial base of stem cell investigators.

16 Apr 2010

New study describes impact of chronic pain on black men

Black men with chronic pain related to an accident, injury, illness, surgery or other causes were more likely to experience depression, affective distress and disability than white men with chronic pain, according to a new study by the University of Michigan Health System.

16 Apr 2010

Research may provide better clinical outcomes for patients with aggressive type of brain cancer

A study conducted by a collaborative team led by researchers from the University of Southern California (USC) may lead to better insight into the clinical outcome for some patients with a particularly aggressive type of brain cancer. The research may also provide a framework for development of targeted drug treatments.

16 Apr 2010